The 136th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, kicked off on Tuesday in south China's Guangzhou City, which has attracted a record high number of exhibitors exceeding 30,000.
Covering a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, the fair will be held in three phases between Oct. 15 and Nov. 4, with the first phase lasting five days.
Some 390,000 digital and smart products as well as more than 1.04 million green and low-carbon products will be displayed at the event, up 300 percent and 130 percent, respectively, from the previous edition.
"We hope to explore and develop larger and broader overseas markets by continuously conducting technological innovations and rolling out new products," said Wang Weizhen, an exhibitor.
About 147,000 overseas buyers have pre-registered for the fair, showing their high enthusiasm for the event and strong interest in latest Chinese technologies and products.
"When I visit the Canton Fair, I always know that I will see the newest products in the world, the newest technologies - like human-computer interaction technologies [which] will be so much important. The artificial intelligence used in the products will be very attractive in the near future," said a Turkish buyer named Seren Atay.
The fair will also include 400 new product launch events, an increase of 30 percent over the previous edition. It has also optimized its cross-border e-commerce exhibition area and the trade services area to facilitate the participation of both exhibitors and buyers. Launched in 1957 and held twice yearly, the Canton Fair is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.
136th Canton Fair opens in Guangzhou with record number of exhibitors
Members of the Trade and Development Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), at a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, voiced their opposition to unilateralism and trade protectionism, expressing concern over the current tensions in global trade, and over the negative impacts of tariff abuses and trade frictions on developing countries, particularly the least developed countries.
Addressing the special meeting focused on economic development in Africa, Ambassador Chen Xu, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, stated that the United States has imposed tariffs unilaterally, triggering worldwide trade tensions, with escalating trade conflicts increasingly impacting Africa and other regions.
Chen said that the U.S. abuse of tariffs as a means of exerting maximum pressure and pursuing its selfish interests is a clear example of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic coercion. He cautioned that these actions would significantly obstruct the socioeconomic progress of developing countries, including those in Africa, and undermine global efforts to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Chen highlighted that UNCTAD members are both participants in and beneficiaries of economic globalization. An open, fair, and stable international economic and trade order aligns with the collective interests of all. He called on all parties to uphold true multilateralism, foster solidarity and cooperation, speak with a unified voice, and resolutely defend a rules-based multilateral trading system to guide globalization in the right direction.
China's statement resonated widely among participants. The representatives of many countries echoed the call to uphold multilateralism, back the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and oppose unilateralism and trade protectionism, in order to create an international economic environment conducive to sustainable development and shared prosperity.
UNCTAD members oppose unilateralism, trade protectionism
